I feel this needs to be said...(Grades & FIRST Dedication)

[Elgin Clock]

Originally Posted by Not2B

My parents told me...

School is your job. ....job, everything is just for fun.

That shifts after HS and full time college status.. or.. during full time college status if you aren't a golden child and have a free ride.

Hooray for taking advantage of FIRST or any other scholarships if you can!
(Not for me personally though just as an fyi..never got any scholarships.)

Your job (or at least a means of making income) = more important than classes ~99% of the time after age 18.

Just keep that in mind.

And, I agree all teams should have a strict policy about grades on the team if they care about the student's success, which I'm sure we all should/do currently.

Sure, some people will miss out on the competitions, but that's not what it's all about.

It's ultimately about succeeding in life, and not even necessarily in only engineering based fields.

Just succeeding in general.

How you succeed is up to you all as individuals.

Yes, it's corny.. but..your future really is in your hands when you are in HS. So, if missing one competition because you need to catch up with school work, and be prepared for life, is going to make you miserable, cause you can't be with your team and your friends, then you really need to check your priorities.

Sure, it's fun doing FIRST and there are a lot of benefits, but in the end, depending on how your school is setup for most of you, it is ONLY an extracurricular activity.

Have fun with it, enjoy some benefits, but keep your school work in check.

Take it from someone who has been there, and let activities take more importance over school..

Being in college on and off for 8 years and not having even an AS yet is not fun.

And that my friends is the harsh reality of life.